Are You Ready for the Next Big One, Southern California?
Is your home earthquake ready? Does your emergency preparedness kit contain more than a bottle of water and a can of tuna? Ask yourself. Is your home structurally safe? As part of its new Multi-Hazards Demonstration Project in Southern California, the USGS is participating in the Dare to Prepare campaign to get the region's residents "ready" for the next big earthquake. The campaign was launched last month on the 150th anniversary of the Fort Tejon earthquake, the last major event on the Southern San Andreas Fault. Dare to Prepare is organized by the Earthquake Country Alliance (
http://www.earthquakecountry.info/), a public-private partnership of leading earthquake professionals, emergency managers, government officials, business and community leaders, and others in Southern California. For the campaign, the USGS will be laying out a scenario of the potential impacts of a major earthquake in Southern California, now home to more than 20 million people. The scenario, which includes not only shaking effects from the earthquake but also triggered landslides and wildfires, will serve as the basis for a major public preparedness exercise that will be the culmination of the Dare to Prepare campaign. Find out more information by contacting Clarice Nassif Ransom at (703) 648-4299 or
cransom@usgs.gov.
